Chapter Three

Emira

I wake up with a thin sheen of sweat covering me. I groan and open my heavy-lidded eyes. We are driving down a street with the evening sun setting in the ocean to our right. A group of people huddle on the beach and move towards the parking lot.

"You're awake. Good." Dad's voice makes me jump. He pulls the car into the parking lot. "We're here." He opens the door and steps out, then opens my door and helps me out. A second later a woman with pale skin and dirty blond hair rushes towards us, followed by a young man who is a complete copy of my dad and a girl that is a mirror image of me. The woman throws her arms around my dad and presses a kiss against his lips. I look on in confusion. The young man stares at me.

"Emira! You're okay!" The woman who kissed my dad throws her arms around me and crushes me in an embrace. It feels comfortable and safe. I relax, then remember that I am in a strange place, in a stranger's arms. I push away.

"Get off me! Who are you?" I exclaim. The woman looks at my father with a pained expression.

"Emira? Do you remember me?" The gentle voice of the girl who looks at me is soft. Another wave of relaxation flows over me. She places her smooth hand on my cheek and I lean into her touch. She smiles at me. I shake my head and back away. I slam my back into the car and I clutch my head.

"What's going on?! Who are you?" I start to feel panic grow in me and I breathe harder. A pair of rough hands wrap around my upper arms.

"Emira, look at me." Dad's rough voice helps me focus. "It's okay, listen to me-"

"No!" I scream. "It's not okay! Dad, I want to go home!"

"This is your home." Dad's voice remains calm and steady but it does nothing to calm the fear and panic raging inside of me. "We must do it now!" My breath comes in shallow gasps. I hyperventilate. I squeeze my eyes shut and a quiet whimper escapes me as I shudder and shake. My dad's rough hands are replaced by a pair of warm hands that gently rub up and down my arms. Their touch sends calming waves through me. I open my eyes to a pair of deep hazel. Just looking into those eyes removes my fear. I go numb.

"Listen to my voice and look into my eyes." The eye's owner speaks. Her sweet voice calms me further. "Come with me." I nod and take her hand. It's olive-colored skin clashes with my pale skin. She leads me past a large group of people, teenagers, adults, children, boys, and girls. They all stare at me and I know that I should feel uneasy but nothing but calm fills me. The group of people spreads out in a circle, but the girl leads me into the middle. She stops me and meets my gaze again. "Stay here, you're safe." I nod and stand still while she takes position next to a tall young man with tanned skin, long unruly black hair, and eyes that mirror the ocean. I watch him and feel an odd pull in my chest. He starts moving his lips in the same pattern as the others. They chant something in another language. The uneasy feeling returns and I find myself looking for comfort in those ocean eyes. A stabbing pain explodes in my head and I fall to my knees. I cry out and clutch my head. The chanting grows louder and louder. Pictures flash before my eyes. My dad playing with me on the very beach I am on now, the woman who embraced me cleaning a cut on my knee. Playing with pillows alongside some of the girls in the circle. Those eyes, late-night walks on the beach, his arms around. The greater demon that attacked my coven. A circle, just like this one, the night I blocked my memories. A thousand more pictures flash through my mind. The pain stops suddenly and one thing rings true. I am Emira Spring, the Aether Witch and a member of the White Cove Coven's Fifteen. Sister of Alex and Stella Spring, daughter of David and Diana Spring and soulmate to Kalum Kane. The group stops chanting and stands quietly, watching me. I take a steadying breath and get to my feet. I look around the circle, with so many familiar faces.

"Emira?" A masculine voice calls my name from behind me. I turn to the source to find Alex, my big brother, looking at me. I smile.

"Hey there, big brother." He sighs in relief and rushes forwards. I meet him halfway and throw my arms around his large shoulders. He towers over me and rests his head on my head.

"It's so good to have you back, Em." His nickname for me stirs feelings of safety and home. He places a kiss on my head and gently backs away. Just to be replaced by the soft embrace of my mother. Having her gentle arms around me breaks the dam in me. I shake and feel the tears flow down my cheeks.

"Mom?" I whisper.

"My baby!" Mom shakes against me. "My sweet baby girl, I have missed you so much!"

"I have missed you too." She releases me and holds my face in her cool hands. She drags her thumbs underneath my eyes and wipes away the tears. Her smile brings back all of the memories of my childhood. She looks over my shoulder and a mischievous glimmer ignites in her eyes. "I am not the only one who missed you." She spins me around in time for me to be attacked by two girls who throw themselves at me, squealing.

"Oh, Goddess! I have missed you, girls!" I exclaim. They look at me with giant smiles plastered on their faces.

"We have missed you!" Hanna, a beautiful girl with olive skin, purple eyes, and long black hair, says as she wraps her slender arms around me once again.

"It is incredibly boring here without you!" Natsuko, a fair-skinned girl with green eyes, exclaims as she drags her manicured fingers through her short red hair. I laugh and wave my fingers in her direction and a soft breeze blows through her curly black hair. She gasps and meets my gaze.

"Was that you?" She asks. I nod and spin in a circle with my hands extended by my sides. Pink shimmering mist flows into the air around me. I laugh as I face my friends again.

"It feels so good to have it back!" They chuckle and we hug again.

"Hey there twin." A soft voice comes from behind me. I spin and stare at a mirror image of myself with golden eyes. I squeal and throw myself at my twin sister. Stella wraps her arms around me and doesn't let go. A warm burn explodes at my wrist and I gasp. I untangle myself from Stella and look down at the beautiful hot pink vines that wrap around my wrist. I turn my wrist to look at it's inside. The vines nearly connect underneath the triple moon symbol tattooed to the inside of my wrist that marks my place among the Fifteen, simply put, my Witches Mark. I look up at my twin, she looks at me and nods. Hanna takes my hand and squeezes.

"Take your time, we'll wait by the fire." I nod because I can't get my mouth to work.

"You heard her! Let's leave these soulmates alone!" Natsuko shouts at the coven, her fiery red hair erupting into flames. I chuckle but it works. Within seconds the coven has moved to the giant bonfire and left me alone. Though I am not alone. The warm pulse coming from the vines on my wrist tells me so. It grows warmer and burns as I feel the heat of my soulmate's closeness in my wrist.